Lawyer Of Cop Who Killed Philando Castile Says He Reacted To Gun, Not Race

It’s been 48 hours since the fatal shooting of Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minn., near St. Paul, and there have yet to be any real updates. However, his girlfriend Diamond “Lavish” Reynolds, who posted the video that went viral via Facebook Live, spoke out on early Friday (July 7) morning, demanding justice for Castile’s death.

“Today is not only about justice and getting justice, but it’s about all of the families that have lost people,” she told CNN. “This thing that has happened in Dallas was not because of something that transpired in Minnesota. This is bigger than Philando. This is bigger than Trayvon Martin. This is bigger than Sandra Bland. This is bigger than all of us.”

After the out-pour of love and solidarity in being proactive regarding the incident peaked with marches and peaceful protests, an attorney stated that the officer reacted to Castile’s gun, not his race.

According to KWWL, “Minneapolis attorney Thomas Kelly told The Associated Press on Saturday that St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez was reacting to “the presence of that gun and the display of that gun” when he opened fire on Philando Castile.”

However, Reynold’s reiterated multiple times that Castile was permitted to carry the gun and cautioned the officer that he was carrying.

Kelly also went on to say that Yanez, who is Latino, is both distraught and saddened over the Wednesday shooting. Nevertheless, the attorney did not explain what led up to the shooting, citing a pending investigation.